Irish lumper is revived by
Glens of Antrim Potatoes

Pictured unearthing the historic spud is grower Stephen Christie, David Morrow and Michael McKilliop from Glens of Antrim Potatoes.

Published:08:57Sunday 20 May 2012

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LOCAL agri-business Glens of Antrim Potatoes has chipped away at 170 years of history by resurrecting a famous potato which has not been commercially cultivated in Ireland since the potato famine of the 1840s.

The Irish Lumper, a distinctive ‘knobbly’ shaped potato, was re-launched at the Delicious Ireland exhibition at the famous foodhall in Selfridges, London, earlier this month.

Glens of Antrim Potatoes specially cultivated and propagated the heritage crop from a handful of rare seedlings, and a specialist grower in Co Limavady was used to achieve a yield which retained the distinctive shape and heritage of the Lumper but also excelled in taste and nutrition. The first batch was then tested at the consumer event in London earlier this month.

Michael McKilliop from Glens of Antrim Potatoes said the company was blown away by the positive feedback.

He explained: “We’ve been working for five years to produce a crop of Irish Lumpers which told the story of the potato’s heritage whilst meeting our high standards, and we were delighted with this first commercial crop. The feedback from customers has been amazing so far, we will definitely be introducing the Irish Lumper into our product range later in the year.

“We’re committed to helping consumers appreciate that there is so much more to the potato than its ‘humble spud’ image. The re-birth of the Irish Lumper is a perfect example and we hope customers near and far will enjoy the history, heritage and flavour of this great potato variety.”

Irish Lumpers will form part of the Glens of Antrim Potatoes ‘Heritage’ range introducing modern shoppers to a wider variety of potato.